A Break in The Clouds
by nicoli-oli
Summary: A Heavy Rain Sequel: The Origami Killer is dead and buried. But evil still remains... Once again, Ethan, Madison and Norman fight for what they love and believe in.
1. Chapter 1

**Here it is, the very first chapter of my very first fanfic! Hope you enjoy it!**

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><p>Norman Jayden, of the FBI, was slumped on the floor of his bathroom, wondering where the fuck his life was going, a small vial clutched in his twitching hand.<p>

Ethan Mars and Madison Paige, along with a safe and healthy Shaun Mars were happily engaged and carving a new life for themselves.

The Origami Killer himself, Scott Shelby, was buried under the earth, never to kill again.

And in the midst of all this, a new terror is stirring….

It has been one month since the horrific events of the Origami Killer came to an end.

FBI HQ, Boston

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><p>Norman Jayden strolled through the hallway, deep in thought. His face portrayed nothing of the thoughts twirling around in his head. His shaking hands were concealed in his pockets. It was the day that had come too soon. Way too soon. "Probably about 10 years too soon." Jayden thought to himself ruefully as he stood in front of Captain Keith's office door. He raised a hand, hesitated, then rapped on the door. He hoped he wouldn't regret what he was about to do.<p>

"Come in!" came Keith's muffled voice from the other side of the door. Norman turned the handle, entered the room and closed the door softly. "Ah, Norman!" Captain Keith exclaimed, "I was just about to call you in myself, what brings you here?" Norman swallowed and crossed the room. He pulled out his FBI badge, remembering the pride he felt when he had first received it, a reminder of the many years of intense training- his gun, a faithful friend which had saved his life on more than one occasion, and finally- his ARI glasses, his most loved- and most deadly possession. These he carefully placed on the desk.

"Sir, I'm here to resign".

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><p>Ethan Mars stirred as sunlight streamed through his window. Birds sang loudly in the trees. He glanced to his right and smiled as he was greeted by a beautiful sight: Madison Paige, curled up next to him, her face flushed with sleep. He gently stroked her cheek with his finger and lightly kissed her on the forehead, marveling at her beauty. He then stretched and got out of bed, glad for the rare amount of rest he had managed to get. He pulled on a top and jeans which had been thrown carelessly to the floor the previous night (after encountering and very skimpily clad Madison lounging on the bed). He glanced around the room and groaned at the tower of cardboard boxes still waiting to be unpacked. Immediately deciding that they could wait another few weeks he left the room.<p>

Ethan entered the hallway and peeked into his son's room next door, smiling when he saw his precious son sleeping so peacefully, his teddy tucked tightly into the crook of his arm. He had been afraid the events of the Origami Killer would have bought on nightmares and such. So far, Shaun seemed fine and was settling into his new life- he was even attending school again. Ethan ran his thumb over the stump of his pinky finger, remembering. He slowly closed the door then made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen, wondering what he could rustle up for breakfast.

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><p>"Will you be returning in the future?" Captain Keith had asked, a look of concern on his lined face.<p>

Jayden had shrugged "I'm not sure sir" he replied honestly.

"Well, you know you are always welcome here Norman. Never before have I had such a dedicated and loyal worker."

Jayden bowed his head, "Thank you, Captain, it means a lot to me." He then turned and walked out of the office and away from his career.

Jayden kept replaying the scene in his head while he walked to his car, wondering if he had made the right decision. For a long time now, he had become dependant on the ARI and, as a result, to Triptocaine also. He disliked the side effects of both and felt that his body couldn't take too much more. He needed a break from everything. Jayden was a work-a-holic and was not afraid to admit it. Except, for him, working too much using the ARI could prove to be deadly. He sighed and turned his pale face to the sun. The rain had finally passed- to Jayden it felt like the start of a new life- away from ARI and Tripto (the latter being flushed down the toilet yesterday).

He smiled as he watched two children gallop past, remembering Shaun Mars and his successful rescue. "Who knows?" Jayden thought, "maybe my new life might involve children of my own, someday"

After all, he wasn't getting any younger.

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><p><strong>Please review and tell me what you think ;)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Kudos to those still reading. It starts to get more interesting from here :3**

Chapter 2

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><p>He loved the sound of a choking last breath- seeing the life fade from their eyes. He relished the useless struggle beneath his powerful hands. It all gave him a reason to live. The body afterwards was not hard to take care of: it was simple enough to just dump it over a bridge whenever he couldn't stand the smell in the house anymore. For all they know, the kid fell into the river and drowned. He always carefully pondered his next victim, staking out playgrounds, schools and funfairs- waiting until an unsuspecting child crossed his path. A quick whiff of chloroform and the rest was easy. No evidence was left behind.<p>

He was like a ghost, who could snatch a child even in a crowd of people and melt away as if nothing happened.

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><p>Ethan stood soaked to the bone, heart pounding, knees shaking. He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there. Blankly he looked around him and saw that he was in a large warehouse, rain pouring in through a hole in the roof. Beneath it was a well of some kind. Suddenly, Ethan's blood turned to ice as a sad voice called: "Daddy….. Help me…..Daddy….." .<p>

"SHAUN!" Ethan yelled, pelting towards the well. He dropped to his knees and saw his son neck-deep in water. He tried desperately to lift the grate. The rain kept pouring relentlessly- Shaun was now under water, his eyes closed. "SHAUN! NO!" Ethan was pulling as hard as he could, but the grate wouldn't budge. Another figure drifted below the surface, covered in blood- Jason.

"NO!" Shaun yelled. He had to save both of them: they were going to die! They were going to-

Ethan gasped and sat up, his heart thumping in his chest. He stumbled out of bed and raced to his son's room. He knelt next to his bed and watched the rise and fall of his chest, felt his breath and slowly, relaxed.

Madison stood in the doorway, watching as Ethan tenderly kissed his son and stumbled to his feet. Ethan jumped when he saw her.

"You were having that dream again, weren't you Ethan?" It was more of a statement than a question. Ethan looked into his fiancée's dark eyes filled with worry.

"…I… did. It keeps happening. Some nights I sleep peacefully and others…." Madison walked towards him and wrapped her arms around him. Ethan returned the gesture,relaxing against her gentle touch.

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><p>"Daddy! Madison! Can I go on this one?" Shaun shrieked as they walked into the local funfair. It was a beautiful day: no clouds in the sky, sun shining and a light breeze. Ethan chuckled. "Shaun, we only just walked through the gate! We'll have plenty of time to-" He broke off as Madison picked up Shaun and zoomed toward the nearest ride. Ethan shook his head. She was just a big a kid as Shaun was. Glancing around nervously, he slowly followed - he still couldn't stand crowds, and it was PACKED here. At the base of the Ferris wheel he looked up and saw Shaun and Madison waving madly from one of the carriages. He grinned and waved back.<p>

After an hour of rides, Shaun was starting to look a little green. Ethan decided it was time for a break, so they wandered around looking at the various stalls. Suddenly Shaun jumped up and down and pointed at the hotdog stand. "Dad! Can we get hotdogs?"

"Sure Shaun" Ethan said, happiness rising in his chest as he looked at his son's happy face, "Of course we can get hotdogs."

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><p>Norman's sister, Nadia, was taking a break from work for the week. She asked if she could stay at his place during that time. He agreed readily. They had always gotten along well since childhood. Also, there was the added bonus of seeing his little 2 year old twin nephew and niece: James and Jessica. He adored them and couldn't resist spoiling them whenever he could. He was planning to take everyone to the funfair which was on today. It was the perfect opportunity to distract him from Tripto and keep his withdrawal symptoms at bay, for the sake of being a good Uncle.<p>

He had gotten out of bed early, showered, shaved and eaten breakfast by 7. made sure to dress in comfortable shoes, jeans and a loose shirt in anticipation for the day ahead. He was driving to the airport by 7.40. His hands were shaking slightly as he drove and he felt a familiar trickle run down his nose. Norman wiped the blood away and kept driving.

The twins chattered to each other (well, Norman assumed they were talking) and crowed along to the Kids CD Nadia had bought-the whole way home. It was cute at first but now he was starting to get a slight headache. Norman was surprised they weren't passed out, given the excitement of their first plane ride. He talked (shouted) to Nadia about his resignation at work as they drove. "I just couldn't handle the pressure anymore, it was wearing me down, you know?" Nadia looked at him with knowing eyes. She knew about his problems as they kept no secrets from each other. She put a hand on his shoulder "I'm proud of you, Norman…I've… been worried."

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><p>They arrived at the funfair at around 10. It was unbelievably crowded. Norman clutched onto James's little hand tightly as he toddled next to him. On his shoulder was a bag which contained all necessities needed to keep a toddler reasonably happy (and hopefully clean) for the day- juice, nappies, handi wipes, a teddy bear and a dummy. Nadia walked next to Norman, sporting the same bag and toting Jessica along. "What should we do first?" Norman called to his sister.<p>

"I think the Ferris wheel should be a safe option!" Nadia called back. The little group started making their way slowly to the Ferris wheel. People smiled when they saw the little twins giggling with excitement. They all clambered into the little carriage. The worker shut the gate and bolted it shut. James who was settled on Norman's lap, gave out a shriek of excitement and bounced up and down as the carriage slowly started to move. The sight from the carriage was amazing. They could see all of the funfair from where they were. Norman absently held onto James's shirt as he leaned precariously to look out of the window. He himself scanned the crowd below as their carriage came closer to the ground, marveling at the mass amount of people. Suddenly, he saw something which made him uneasy. A child was looking around frantically, a child who looked very familiar…. Norman gasped as a tall figure snatched him up and disappeared into the crowd.

"SHAUN!"

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><p><strong>What will happen next? Onward to chapter 3!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Let the fun begin...**

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><p>"SHAUN!" Ethan roared as he frantically searched the crowd for his son. He had let go of his hand for one second, when he was reaching for his wallet with one hand and holding a hotdog in the other. "Stay close to me son, hold onto my shirt" he had commanded.<p>

"Ok Dad!",came the cheerful reply, before being swept away in the sudden surge of people, rushing to some event which had just started close-by.

And now… god damn it! Not again! This can't be happening again! His heart was pounding. He started to shake violently. Madison, next to him was trying to calm him down. His precious son! Who had been through so much already! No, he wouldn't lose him again! He frantically pushed roughly through the crowd not caring what he was doing. The crowd was thronging, closing in on him. He was starting to hyperventilate when suddenly, he saw a tall, pale figure squeeze past him. His face sported a faint scar on the right side of his face, pale green eyes determined. He was somewhat familiar. The absence of a suit left Ethan confused for a moment before realizing who it was.

Gathering his bearings, he took off after Norman.

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><p>Shaun stirred slowly.<p>

"Where….am… I?" he thought to himself. His head was pounding painfully and he had a funny taste in his mouth. He looked around slowly and realized he was in a car. Houses and trees flashed by as the car increased speed.

"Well, well, woken up have you?" a sneering voice jeered. Shaun startled and looked at the driver in the front seat. He was a big man with huge muscles. Tattoos spread up both of his arms. Eyes dark as night flashed in the rearview mirror and a nasty smile appeared. Shaun huddled himself as far away as he could, pressing himself into the seat and wishing he could melt away into it.

"Dad…. Save me….." He whispered as tears stung his eyes.

"Please save me."

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><p>"Fuck!" Jayden yelled as they swerved sharply to miss an old lady making her way shakily across the pedestrian crossing. "You're driving like a madman, Ethan! You're gonna kill us before we even reach Shaun!"<p>

"Fuck off Norman!" Ethan yelled. "I'm not going to let my son be taken away from me again! We are going to catch this bastard!"

Jayden settled back into his chair with a sigh. He knew better than to interfere with him much more. This dad had already proved his undying love for his son, as he was proving again now. Norman's sharp eyes were keeping a close watch on the speeding car ahead of them, taking down the details: number plate, body, make, colour… His hands started to tremble, his head was throbbing. A warm stream of blood oozed from his nose. "Great" , he thought to himself, "just what I need right now". He fumbled for a tissue in his pocket and held it to his nose. Another hand fished for what he knew wasn't there anymore… if only he had kept a little bit… just a tiny amount…

Ethan glanced at him. "Are you ok?"

Jayden shook himself out of his daze. "Just concentrate on the road, crazy taxi." He was thinking back to the funfair, to little James and Jessica and his sister. He felt horrible for abandoning them all, there had been no time to explain.

He hoped they would understand.

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><p>He feasted his eyes upon the prize he had in the backseat of his car. He hadn't heard the sweet sound of the last, desperate breaths of a child for a long time now. He could hardly wait to wrap his powerful hands around the scrawny throat and squeeze until there was no life left. He would have done so by now, had it not been for the annoying idiots chasing after him.<p>

And he didn't want to make a mess in his car.

He would have to find a way to lose them. He was fast approaching his house… just a little more… He swerved suddenly, down a side alley. He glanced in his mirror and smirked as he saw the offending car whizz past the alleyway.

Screeching to a halt in front of a decrepit, crumbling house, he turned around and grinned menacingly at the cowering boy in the back seat.

"Let's have some fun, kiddo."

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><p><strong>Will Shaun survive? <strong>

**Read on...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4. This is where it really starts get interesting...**

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><p>"He's turning down the alleyway!" Ethan yelled and prepared to wrench the wheel around. Jayden grabbed the wheel and jerked it straight again.<p>

"What the fuck are you doing, you asshole?" Ethan yelled pushing him away.

"I'm trying to save your son!" Jayden yelled back. "Now he thinks he's lost us and will probably park somewhere close- if we take the next street and double back, I can guarantee we'll find his car and hopefully, his house too."

Ethan shook his head. The tires screeched as he flew around the next corner. Sure enough, they saw a familiar car parked a little way up the street.

Jayden pulled out a gun from under his loose shirt. Ethan followed suit and opened the glove box, revealing a hand gun. Both raised their eyebrows at each other and shrugged before getting out of the car. They closed the doors softly before making their way up the front path, Jayden in the lead, gun at the ready. They both decided to move around the house and enter through the back door. Keeping low to the ground, they stole quietly to the door. Jayden raised a hand, signaling for them to stop. Muffled cries could be heard from inside the house. Face grim, Jayden kicked the door down with surprising strength- his gun trained in front of him. A disgusting smell met their noses and Ethan retched. Jayden winced- he knew this smell.

All of a sudden there was silence. A deathly silence. Jayden rushed through the kitchen, Ethan close behind. They both stopped dead upon the sight in the living room. Children's bodies lay in the room- still as statues and pale as ghosts, ugly bruises showing bright against their necks. The smell was overpowering

Among them lay Shaun.

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><p>"Shaun!" Ethan stumbled to his son and dropped to his side. Jayden's heart sank. Ever alert he still swept his eyes around the room- he was 100% certain the killer still remained in the house somewhere….<p>

BANG

Jayden gasped. A searing pain shot through his shoulder. Warm blood started running down his arm. He started down at it in shock. His vision swam before his eyes. "Fuck… I don't wanna die yet…." were his last thoughts.

Slowly, he crumpled to the floor.

Ethan whirled around and caught the glint of a gun trained around the doorway. Shaking with anger, blood boiling in his veins he took out his own gun, aimed and fired. Again and again. He moved closer, firing relentlessly. He reached the doorway and saw the killer cowering on the floor. Clearly he hadn't expected retaliation in the form of a gun. Quickly he whipped out his gun and pressed the trigger: CLICK. "Shit!" the man muttered, pulling the trigger again :CLICK, CLICK. Ethan looked into the face of his son's murderer and planted the gun right between the monster's eyes.

BANG

Ethan glared with contempt at the disgusting figure on the floor and spat. He chucked the gun aside and rushed back into the living room and collapsed next to his son, picking up his small hand, still warm. Tears overflowed in Ethan's eyes. He had now lost both of his sons. He was a complete failure.

He glanced at the still body of the young FBI agent on the floor and felt his heart crack in two- Jayden had played a valuable part in saving Shaun- both in the past and the present- he had repaid him by leading him to his death.

Death would be welcome right now, Ethan thought. At least I'll be able to see my sons again. He reached for the gun in Norman's still hand, cocked it and placed it to his temple. His index finger made it's way shakily to the trigger and rested there for a moment…

Suddenly he felt a small movement in his hands.

Ethan looked down in surprise. His son's eyes fluttered open slowly.

Shaun was alive!

Gasping, Ethan threw the gun aside and pulled his son into a tight hug.

"You… saved me dad….." Shaun croaked weakly. Ethan could only sob as he clutched his son. Shaun groggily glanced at Jayden on the floor. "Daddy… what…happened to… Mr. Norman?" Ethan sighed and hugged his son harder.

A low groan answered from the floor. Ethan started. He gently lowered Shaun back down onto the floor and rushed to Norman's side. Blood was pouring from the wound in his shoulder and his face was growing paler. He could hear a rattling sound in his chest, labored breathing. Jayden shakily raised his uninjured arm and clasped Ethan's hand. Pale eyes met his- they held for a moment…

Then slowly started to close…

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><p><strong>What is Jayden's fate? How will Ethan, Shaun and Madison rebuild their lives?<strong>

**Read on...**


	5. Chapter 5

1 Year later…

As Ethan cradled his newborn baby girl he felt a burst of joy and pride. She was so perfect. Ten little fingers and ten little toes. Wisps of curly dark hair lay flat against her moist head. Her brilliant blue eyes gazed up at him lovingly as she gurgled happily. An exhausted Madison grinned with relief and joy. Shaun, who was now all arms and legs, was excited, asking to see his little sister. Ethan bent down a little so Shaun could see her face.

"Welcome to the world, Jennifer" Ethan murmured.

They all gazed upon the little miracle nestled in Ethan's arms. Shaun sighed. "It's too bad Norman isn't around to see Jennifer, huh dad?". Ethan gently kissed his little daughter and gave her back to Madison. He knelt down to his son.

His precious son, who had almost been stolen away from him twice.

"He'll be with us, in our hearts, son. I'm sure he's watching Jennifer right now, wherever he is" They both were silent for a moment, staring out the window.

Madison snorted with laughter, rocking little Jennifer in her arms. "Oh, stop being so dramatic you two, he'll be back in a couple of weeks. He's away on his honeymoon, remember?"

Shaun laughed. "They've almost been gone for a whole month already! Do you remember their wedding Dad? It was awesome and the cake was, like, THIS huge!" He spread his arms out dramatically. Ethan looked at Madison and smiled.

He was the luckiest man alive.

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><p><em>He was in agony. The searing pain in his shoulder was painful beyond belief. Everything was going dark, he was falling…<em>

"_Norman, wake up"_

_He felt a soft hand rest on his forehead. "Hmmm you're coming down with a fever"_

_A voice like an angel _

_He slowly opened his eyes. A blurred shape stood over him. As his vision cleared he could see it was a nurse._

_She was beautiful, even in a plain nurse's uniform. Soft brown curls fell to her shoulders. Her cheeks were rosy and her lips were full._

_She smiled at him._

_A beautiful smile._

"_Norman, my name is Christine. You've just woken up out of anesthesia, so you'll be feeling a little out of sorts."_

_Norman WAS feeling a bit sluggish. A glass of water sat on the table next to him. He tried to reach for it and winced as a piercing pain shot through his shoulder._

"_Don't move, or you'll open up your stitches." She commanded."I'll get the drink for you." She helped tip some water into his mouth before sitting back down on the chair next to the bed._

_Norman looked around and saw flowers, cards and a worn teddy labeled "Shaun" sitting on a shelf. A drip towered next to his bed, the red line snaking under the sheet and into his hand. _

_Christine was talking as he looked around:_ "_You had us all worried- _you had lost a lot of blood by the time we got you here_. We performed surgery to remove the bullet from your shoulder. I was told it was lodged pretty deep and had splintered into tiny shards." _

_Norman lifted the blanket covering him and saw the bandage wrapped around his right shoulder. He shuddered as he remembered the feeling of the bullet smashing into his shoulder..._

_Christine smoothed his hair. "The main thing now is that you're on the mend. I'll go and let everyone know you're awake." She said as she stood up and walked to the door. Just as she left, she turned and flashed that amazing smile "Let me know if you need anything else, ok?" _

_Norman smiled. He knew what he wanted._

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><p>"Norman?"<p>

Jayden jumped and shook himself out of his daze.

He glanced at his beautiful wife sitting next to him on the plane and smiled. He was positive she was glowing. He took her petite hand, and kissed it. "My, what a beautiful ring you have there." He joked. "Who _is_ the lucky man you call your husband?"

Christine smiled and kissed him. "You are."

Their honeymoon had consisted of four glorious weeks in a beautiful resort, staying up late at night, enjoying a few drinks on the beach, lounging in the spa, enjoying the stunning sunsets and well…

….keeping busy.

She had felt queasy during the last week of their stay in the Caribbean's . Meat made her stomach churn and she started to have weird cravings. She had laughed as Jayden rushed to the nearest chemist to buy a pregnancy test (and hopefully banana ice cream) Apparently, he had to play charades to tell the non-english speaking man behind the till what he needed. He had come hurrying back with five tests- and a huge tub of ice-cream.

"Just in case" he'd said. A huge smile was on his face, no longer so pale, but slightly tanned by the sun.

Smiling at the memory, Jayden put his hand on top of hers, resting on her stomach. He held great hope for his future, with his beautiful wife and child.

He was the luckiest man alive.

~The End~

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><p><strong>Happy endings for all! :D<strong>

**Please let me know what you think, any feedback would be greatly appreciated!**

**If I get enough positive reviews, I may give in to the urge to write more Heavy Rain fanfics ;) **


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